Making a Seed Bed

April 28, 2011

Seed bed containing Purple Sprouting Brocolli

So, what’s a seed bed? It’s a small area of land that’s used for sowing slow growing veg such as cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli etc., directly into the soil before moving them on to their final growing positions.

Why bother? Quicker cropping veg such as lettuce or radish can be planted and harvested, giving you a more productive use of space. Alternatively you may have something growing in the bed that you’re ultimately planning to plant your cabbages into (such as peas).

It doesn’t need to be very big – about a metre square is sufficient. It does need to be in an open, sunny position though to give the seedlings the best start in life.

The soil should be well prepared – light, well-drained, free of weeds and stones. Check the pH – neutral is best between 6.5 and 7. It doesn’t need to be too fertile either as seeds contain everything they need to germinate.

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Who is Behind Greenside Up

Hi, my name is Dee Sewell, social and therapeutic horticulturalist, owner/manager of Greenside Up, community and vegetable garden tutor and author of this blog.
I began blogging back in 2009 when I started my Carlow/Kilkenny garden business and as a result the blog is now full of tips, tales, talk and tasty treats about Ireland, gardening, recipes, the environment, family life and community.
If you want to find more about how we came to live in Ireland and what we do, take a look in the About page or Contact me about how I can help you grow your own food.

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Testimonials

I found the workshops very informative and useful. I wish I’d done them prior to starting to dig! Loads of great tips

JamieOld Leighlin.

Dee’s enthusiasm is so infectious. The course really made me want to grow herbs and vegetables! Mary Kinsella

Herbs & Salad Workshop, May 2015

Besides her obvious talent for gardening and building a business from scratch, Dee has the ability to put her customers at the heart of everything, even when they call at the weekend to sort out a crisis.

Marian Hearne, Co Owner, Herbi & Carni

“Just spent the morning reading all the info on the cards from @Greensideupveg seeds, its lovely”

“Innovative, creative and has a natural flair for business development”

Ann-Marie Lehart, Kilkenny Leader Partnership

Excellent for beginners, covers all the basics for the newcomer to gain confidence.

Sean Daly, Leighlin Parish Garden Course

‘Droichead Community Garden Project feel very lucky to have a lady such as Dee facilitating our group. Dee has an in-depth knowledge of all things gardening and is a tremendous asset to any gardening group. Without Dee’s support we would be unable to keep this community garden going’.

Dee is one in a million. She shares her knowledge with many and has a very loyal following for her community garden work, training workshops and social media postings .

Bryan Leech, Owner, Kilgraney House, Co Carlow

Dee has given me lots of knowledge and skills to get out and get my garden sorted. Maybe I can be nearly as good as my Dad was. He grew everything have lots of memories of harvesting fruit and veg as a child. Now it’s time for me to create similar memories for my own kids. Thanks for the know how and somewhat shaky confidence. Really looking forward to lots more gardening and harvesting. Thanks again – Verena Butler, Hugginstown